The invention relates to a method for the computer-assisted operation of an autonomous network comprising a plurality of autonomous terminals.
The invention also relates to a network comprising a plurality of autonomous terminals.
If “transceiver” (artificial word composed of transmitter and receiver) is mentioned, this is understood to be the designation of a combination of a transmitter and a receiver constructed in a structural unit. The transceiver is responsible for transmitting and receiving signals via a transmission medium and particularly for feeding the signals into and coupling them out of the medium.
The terminal is object, e.g. a computer, mobile computer, telephone or mobile telephone which is connected to a network termination of a network e.g. a data or telecommunication network. The connection can be of a direct type, that is to say line-connected, or of an indirect type via a radio link.
The development of wireless networks is characterized by an increased flexibility in the utilization of the frequency band. This is associated with a development of terminals which can utilize the radio technologies and frequency bands largely autonomously within the framework of the given regulations. An example of such terminals which have a largely autonomous operation with a change between radio technologies and frequency bands are so-called “cognitive radios” which are based on the use or reconfigurable terminals (so-called SDR terminals).
In the previously known mobile radio networks, the processes and criteria for utilizing a radio technology and the change between various radio technologies are defined by standards. Control is effected by a so-called radio resource management. In the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) standard, for example, this is handled by a central unit which is called RNC (radio network controller). According to this standard, mobile terminals are controlled by the network itself.
It can be expected that networks of future generations will no longer have this central management. Thus, methods for resource administration and control in automated networks are needed.
In US 2005/0091352 A1 a method for a rule-based autonomous computer system is described which derives certain actions by observing the state of resources of the computer system. The actions are used for bringing the computer system into a defined final state when the current actual state of the computer system deviates from a desired state.